Rachel Alexandra has been retired and her 2010 season was far short of expectations set by her connections and racing fans. This year started off with the prospect of a showdown with Zenyatta that looked like a lock until March 13th when Rachel Alexandra was bested by Zardana, a stablemate of Zenyatta. From that point on her season was about getting her back to the 2009 form that netted her Horse of the Year honors and not about a race against her chief rival. Rachel Alexandra's struggles at the track this year are not about who was truly worthy of Horse of the Year honors from the previous year, but about the tough task of defending a championship.
Gio Ponti can be seen as another example of the demands of defending a championship, after winning the Eclipse honors for best older colt and best male turf horse he was sent back into training with the immediate goal of the Dubai World Cup and the long term goal of returning to the Breeders Cup. Gio Ponti's 2010 debut was at Tampa Bay Downs on February 20th in a listed stakes that was meant as a warm up race for the World Cup, he lost that race to Karelian who went on to capture the grade one Maker's Mark Mile. His race in the Dubai World Cup was a close fourth place finish, followed by a narrow loss to long shot stablemate Winchester in the Manhattan. He returned to the winner's circle in the Man O' War where he barely defeated 50-1 long shot Mission Approved and his last start was a narrow loss in the Arlington Million, a race he won last year. In five starts since his 2009 championship season and he has only one victory.
Forever Together won the 2008 Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf en route to end of the year honors as the best turf female. She is on a seven race losing streak with her last win being the Diana Handicap on August 1, 2009. Her record is ten starts with two wins since clinching the 2008 Eclipse honors.
Street Sense turned in dominant performances in the Breeders Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Derby against the likes of Curlin and Hard Spun. Curlin improved from his Derby outing against the champ to win the Preakness in a photo and from that point on Street Sense was never the same. He was all out to win the Jim Dandy and Travers before going down in defeat in his last two starts to the same three year olds he whipped in the Derby.
Zenyatta is a freak of nature, she successfully defended her Older Female award last year and is four for four this year with all of the wins being in grade one races. There have been different tactics that have been unsuccessfully used in trying to defeat Zenyatta boxing her in, floating her wide, and going extremely slow up front all come to mind. What she has accomplished in her last three years starts looking better and better when compared to how others have fared. There always have been questions about the quality of the competition she has faced, but the important factor is she has turned them all back so far.
Being a defending champion is a tough task to take on, there is new competition to take on and horses age differently. A championship campaign means that is when a horse was at their peak at the time of the honors. Duplicating those type of performances a year later with new variables is a challenge that is among one of tougher feats to accomplish in this sport.
Power cap- existential handicapping
Showing posts with label Rachel Alexandra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rachel Alexandra. Show all posts
28 September 2010
31 August 2010
There's no dignity in racing in the Distaff?
Andrew Beyer recently penned one of his four articles he writes every year (I wish I had his job). To summarize what 80% the article states, it is that Rachel is past her prime. Not a bold statement at all, but in the second to last paragraph he mentions the option of going the Distaff instead of the Classic as an undignified spot for the legendary filly. The rest of the article can be found here: http://drf.com/news/no-longer-rachel-alexandra-history
"Jackson and Asmussen will have a difficult decision to make about their filly's future. The trainer would only say that he and the owner will "evaluate who she is and where she's at." Her main objective, supposedly, had been the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs and a showdown with Zenyatta, but that seems utterly unrealistic now. Aiming her for the Ladies' Classic would seem beneath her dignity if Zenyatta does challenge males in the main event."
I hope Mr. Beyer is at Saratoga for closing weekend, just so I can ask him in person how going to a grade one championship race is degrading. The Distaff this year looks like a solid lineup if the injury bug is on vacation, Blind Luck is the best of her generation and Devil May Care is a very good nine furlong runner, if Rachel Alexandra is to enter this race it will be a blockbuster race on its own merit. Not only will there be three all star fillies lining up, but also this would be a measuring stick for the three year old fillies against a legendary runner who is no doubt a first ballot hall of famer. How is this a spot that lacks dignity?
As in any case the connections of a racehorse must evaluate how a horse is doing and enter them in spots that the horse can succeed in. There have been two things proven in Rachel Alexandra's past record the first being that she is her most successful going 1 1/8 miles and the secod is she does demonstrably better at Churchill than any other surface, her two biggest margins of victory were over this dirt oval. The Distaff as a long term goal would make the most sense based on the two points stated.
If anything Rachel Alexandra's loss in the Personal Ensign could be discounted by the fact that 1 1/4 miles is probably beyond the scope of her best distance and the intense pace pressure she endured did her in. It happens to best of them, Cigar gave way in the 1996 Pacific Classic after being wedged between horses and going 1:33 for a mile. Skip Away was dueled into defeat in the 1998 Jockey Club Gold Cup after being latched to the blinkered Gentleman for a mile. Chances are that Rachel Alexandra goes to the Beldame due to the spacing from her last race to this one and the real test will be how she performs in the Beldame where she could face Devil May Care.
26 August 2010
Time to paint a canoe!
Image via blog.timesunion.com This is the type of weekend that reminds me of why I became a racing fan. Any time there is a major stakes race there is bound to be good racing surrounding the main event, one does not need to look further than the Triple Crown dates or Breeders Cup two day event for proof of this. The amount of great betting opportunities that transpire on these type of days is double or triple what you would find on any other racing day.
The only thing worse than getting a bad trip from a jockey is getting no trip, Cherokee Queen had a bad start and lost her rider in her last race. Standing next to someone who bet the riderless horse for the entire race really broadens your vocabulary of swear words in a short amount of time. If you are looking for a price horse in the Ballston Spa then I would give this one a shot, she was defeated by Proviso by less than two lengths in the Just A Game two starts back.
About a week ago in the MSG telecast of the Alabama, one of the NYRA handicappers was doing a piece on the upcoming stakes action and they previewed the Victory Ride. They mentioned that Pica Slew was a possibility for this race, the entries were drawn and she is no where to be found in this race other than the running lines. This race is a dart board race without a horse like Pica Slew entered, from first look Rapport may be an over bet runner in this spot based on her morning line and connections. She is zero for four on dirt with her best race being a nearly six length defeat in her most recent effort.
The Ballerina served as the hangover stakes race that followed the Travers super card in recent years, they moved this race to Travers day last year and the Personal Ensign was moved to Sunday from Friday. Last year Music Note beat a very good field that included Indian Blessing and Informed Decision, Informed Decision returns to try her luck again a year older and no worse for the wear. She is showing the same form that she had last year on her way to the Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Sprint championship and this is her favorite distance. Jessica is Back is returning from her cutback victory in the Princess Rooney, another horse who relished the cutback one same day was Mambo Meister, he returned to run unsuccessfully on August 8 in a grade one sprint stakes.
Round two for D'Funnybone and Discreetly Mine in the King's Bishop, Discreetly Mine has rejuvenated his career since moving back to sprint races and his last race was a very fast race. Either D'Funnybone has hit a wall or his last race was an aberrant performance, he lost as a very heavy favorite in the Carry Back to horses that he would have mopped up the floor with if he ran to form. Chances are these two runners will be hard to separate on the tote at short odds, Bulldogger ran a very fast race over a dull track last out and if he can handle the route like tendencies of a seven furlong race he will be a tough foe to defeat.
Saturday's main event is the Travers and the absence of division leader Lookin At Lucky casts a large enough shadow that eleven are going to line up for the winner's share of the million dollar purse. A win by anyone other than Super Saver practically clinches the three year old eclipse award for Lookin At Lucky. The Jim Dandy may end up being a key race, Stormy's Majesty was far back in the Jim Dandy and won the Albany recently.
On Sunday Rachel Alexandra will go 1 1/4 miles for the first time in what likely will be a litmus test for her chances in the Breeders Cup Classic. There is two ways to look at her prospects going the classic distance, she will handle this test with ease or her best distance is 1 1/8 miles and she will lose. Chances are she will be a massive favorite in this spot based on recent speed figures and reputation, she is not facing lightweights here though. Life At Ten and Miss Singhsix both ran at the 10 furlong distance last out and get a marginal weight break on Sunday.
Rachel Alexandra's 2010 form is not as good as her 2009 form after close scrutiny. Her Fair Grounds debut is throwout based on the fact they tried rushing her back as an effort to get her ready for a race against Zenyatta that never materialized. In the La Troienne stakes she was defeated by Unrivaled Belle who since that race has lost two straight stakes as a heavy favorite, one of the loses being to Life At Ten in the Ogden Phipps. Her dominating win in the Fleur De Lis was at the same distance and surface as her twenty length score in the Kentucky Oaks, and her win in the Lady's Secret should have been by more against that group. All that being said she will probably win by a dozen after I tried finding any knocks against her recent resume.
11 September 2009
Post Saratoga Debrief
With all of the doom and gloom in the racing industry Saratoga was a definite bright spot. It seems like both summer (Del mar is the other) boutique meets had better than expected numbers; these are signs that fan interest is focusing on the better racing even has marginal racino tracks raise purses. These numbers lend credence to the opinion that it is time for racing to eliminate marginal content. The highlights of the meet was of course Rachel Alexandra who surely minted a few thousand new racing fans this summer. Even the most obtuse horseplayers who could care less about equine achievements were moved by Rachel's stirring victory in the Woodward.
The year of the female in racing certainly continued at Saratoga. Not only were most of the notable performances by fillies and mares but a female claimed the training title of the first time. Linda Rice dominated the turf sprint races as she had entry after entry run one big race after another. Careless Jewel ran a tremendous race in the Alabama, especially considering her wild pre-race antics. Icon Project projected her speed in the Personal Ensign with a break-out 13 length tour de force. Of course the highlight of the meet was Rachel Alexandra, so much has been written about her but her greatest achievement is in illuminating the appeal of horse racing to new fans. Saratoga proved to be the perfect venue for Rachel to run her greatest race. A house packed with old and new fans and she "raised the rafters"giving people a memory that they will never forget.
The year of the female in racing certainly continued at Saratoga. Not only were most of the notable performances by fillies and mares but a female claimed the training title of the first time. Linda Rice dominated the turf sprint races as she had entry after entry run one big race after another. Careless Jewel ran a tremendous race in the Alabama, especially considering her wild pre-race antics. Icon Project projected her speed in the Personal Ensign with a break-out 13 length tour de force. Of course the highlight of the meet was Rachel Alexandra, so much has been written about her but her greatest achievement is in illuminating the appeal of horse racing to new fans. Saratoga proved to be the perfect venue for Rachel to run her greatest race. A house packed with old and new fans and she "raised the rafters"giving people a memory that they will never forget.
31 August 2009
$5 Million Beldame Challenge~The Race Of Our Lifetime
When we look back at 2009 it is going to be remembered as the year of the filly. Fillies and mares have dominated from coast to coast. So many of them have amazed us with dazzling performances that have dropped jaws and lit up speed figure charts. It would be absolutely extraordinary if a benevolent sponsor offered up an enhanced purse for the Beldame this year. Now is the time, the horses and the rivalry are here right now. NYRA/TVG have promised a million but there are million dollar races throughout the summer. This is a special occasion and it calls for a special race with a huge purse.
Imagine a race that corralled all of the filly all-stars. What about the $3 million Ladies Classic at Santa Anita? It is just not the same on that synthetic surfaces especially without division leader Rachel Alexandra. This distaff classic has to be at Belmont and it must be on dirt. The star studded field of recent big winners would be Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Icon Project, Seventh Street, Music Note and Careless Jewel. Let them fill out the field to twelve runners to generate maximum handle. There would not be enough words to describe the excitement that a race like this would generate.
Imagine a race that corralled all of the filly all-stars. What about the $3 million Ladies Classic at Santa Anita? It is just not the same on that synthetic surfaces especially without division leader Rachel Alexandra. This distaff classic has to be at Belmont and it must be on dirt. The star studded field of recent big winners would be Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Icon Project, Seventh Street, Music Note and Careless Jewel. Let them fill out the field to twelve runners to generate maximum handle. There would not be enough words to describe the excitement that a race like this would generate.
17 July 2009
Scared Of The Girl
Looks like Asmussen and Jackson are wielding Rachel Alexandra like a poker player wields a pair of aces. He shows his trump hand and everyone folds. It is no surprise that this group of horsemen are not scared to fold a hand with so many games available for three year old colts. The announcement that Rachel is targeting the Haskell has scared off potential pace duelers Papa Clem and Big Drama. This sets the stage for a Rachel showcase where she has everything her own way. Her reputation is beginning to help her as her mere presence is leveling the competition before she even hits the track.
16 July 2009
Monmouth Rolls Out The Red Carpet For Rachel
Monmouth is the best track of them all for attracting star three year old horses. This year Monmouth continues the tradition by luring star filly Rachel Alexandra for the Haskell Invitational. Monmouth is not afraid to turn this race into more of a showcase than an actual horserace. It is the closest thing to the Harlem Globetrotters/Washington Generals in horse racing. This year a filly will play the Globetrotters.
The crowd wants horses that were on TV during the triple crown and Monmouth delivers those horses to the New Jersey racing fans. Monmouth has been know to pay appearance fees to connections for bringing their three year olds to the Haskell. Not only do the connections receive an appearance fee but they are treated like gold. It seems like every year there is a dominant performance from a top three year old that competed in the triple crown series.
With appearance fees luring top horses to the Haskell the race has been a showcase for favorites year after year. This is not the race to look for a longshot. The only upset I can recall in the last few years was Peace Rules upsetting Funny Cide in 2003 but was Peace Rules returning $6.00 really an upset? The speed favoring surface played to Peace Rules running style, this is the race to showcase classy front running route three year olds. Rachel Alexandra fits the Haskell to a tee.
This year you can expect Monmouth to jump through every hoop for Rachel Alexandra. Start with an generous appearance fee, then add in the red carpet treatment for the connections and top it off with a speed favoring track for her running style. The NJSEA which runs Monmouth will pull out every stop. This is Rachel's showcase at the shore, she is a dominating presence that will scare away other horses. Look for other speed horses like Big Drama to defect from the race. If Rachel is out there all alone on the speed favoring Monmouth surface deep closers like Summer Bird will have little chance to confront her in the lane. It will not even be close.
Rachel should win this $1million dollar invitational race with ease. This race will be a showcase and you can expect the same type of crowd pleasing performance as she offered in the Mother Goose. It should be a great day to watch a dominating performance by the shore.
The crowd wants horses that were on TV during the triple crown and Monmouth delivers those horses to the New Jersey racing fans. Monmouth has been know to pay appearance fees to connections for bringing their three year olds to the Haskell. Not only do the connections receive an appearance fee but they are treated like gold. It seems like every year there is a dominant performance from a top three year old that competed in the triple crown series.
With appearance fees luring top horses to the Haskell the race has been a showcase for favorites year after year. This is not the race to look for a longshot. The only upset I can recall in the last few years was Peace Rules upsetting Funny Cide in 2003 but was Peace Rules returning $6.00 really an upset? The speed favoring surface played to Peace Rules running style, this is the race to showcase classy front running route three year olds. Rachel Alexandra fits the Haskell to a tee.
This year you can expect Monmouth to jump through every hoop for Rachel Alexandra. Start with an generous appearance fee, then add in the red carpet treatment for the connections and top it off with a speed favoring track for her running style. The NJSEA which runs Monmouth will pull out every stop. This is Rachel's showcase at the shore, she is a dominating presence that will scare away other horses. Look for other speed horses like Big Drama to defect from the race. If Rachel is out there all alone on the speed favoring Monmouth surface deep closers like Summer Bird will have little chance to confront her in the lane. It will not even be close.
Rachel should win this $1million dollar invitational race with ease. This race will be a showcase and you can expect the same type of crowd pleasing performance as she offered in the Mother Goose. It should be a great day to watch a dominating performance by the shore.
28 June 2009
Mother Goose Report
There were heavy rain showers while driving through the Bronx on the way to Elmont for the Mother Goose Stakes Stakes at Belmont. The day might have been ruined but it was not, it just served to pad the rain stats as it has rained here 24 of the last 26 days. Only by luck those rain showers never reached Belmont, not only were the conditions dry but the day was lovely. A cool northerly wind combined with low humidity, and sunny skies made for perfect racing conditions for man and beast. If you keep notes on how the track played the main track seemed to favor speed with fast times all day and frontrunners did well. The crowd was reported at 13,352 persons, which is a small crowd relative to the tremendous capacity of the facility. However compared to a usual weekend crowd the crowd was a larger. What the numbers do not show is that the crowd was overflowing with enthusiasm and had a different demographic than the typical mix of middle age to elderly men.
Naughty New Yorker
The first stakes race of the day was the Ed Fratello Stakes. Favored Wishful Tomcat tracked frontrunning Fortunate Prospect, took over at the top of the lane, winning the mile and a 16th test in 140 and 2/5ths. Looking at Wishful Tomcat in the paddock, he is a stoutly built, tall, good looking individual. He looked best on paper and impressive in the paddock. One look at him and it was clear that not only was he the favorite to win but Wishful Tomcat knew he was going to win. The horse had presence. He could come back and win the Suburban next week if Dutrow chooses to enter him. Wishful Tomcat is a horse with razor sharp form.
Naughty New Yorker
Old campaigner Naughty New York was in this field too. After all these years he still wears that full cup blinker over his right eye. He was second off the layoff after a year without a race. The 7 year old New York bred was a bit overweight in the paddock and raced like he needed the race as he finished last. I'm sure the connections would love to get him over the million dollar earnings plateau which he has flirted with since 2007. He is only about $15K away from 1 million but like a gambler trying to make the rent money if he does not find his old form he may not get there.
Paddock Crowd Mother Goose Stakes
“We were very pleased with the crowd today, especially the number of girls and women,” said Hal Handel, NYRA executive vice president and COO. This was a crowd where you can take your young daughter too and not worry about her being out of place. There were thousands of new faces and as one of the old faces I know who all the regulars are. These people were not track regulars. There were dozens of couples, there were teenage girls and adolescent girls with their families. I even talked to a guy who flew up from New Orleans to see Rachel run. This was a crowd of fans not just the hardcore packs of gamblers and handicappers.
Paddock Crowd Rachel Alexandra
It may be easy to dismiss these women as taking up space and not contributing their fair share to the game. Not only did they receive free admission but I did not see them hitting the windows with $100 exacta boxes. However their contribution is not to the handle but to the track aesthetic and of the ambiance of the facility. Having tons of women at the track changes the game. Old men cursing at a television screens suddenly feel like they are acting like crass animals and they tone down their public tirades of profanity. The hecklers keep their outbursts to themselves. What was once grimy becomes a classy event that could be attended by all. Taming racing's sleazy reputation is a good start to working the game back into the mainstream. Embellish the few thousand foul mouthed degenerates in the crowd with pretty girls and their admirers and soon the track becomes an inviting place. Suddenly demographic groups that are extinct at Belmont find that it is a good time. The potential for growth is opened up. The track demographic aquires some diversity outside of old and profane. Whatever NYRA did on Saturday was successful and is one of the building blocks to growing the game. I was bearish on this promotion, but I am happy to be wrong. The Rachel Alexandra promotion was a success. New fans showed up by the thousands and it was the most thrilling sporting event of the day.
Cheers In The Paddock For Rachel
Rachel Alexandra crushed her two competitors in the Mother Goose winning by 19 lengths, exceeding expectations. She rated behind the blistering pace and then drew off impressively as the rider pleased. It was pleasing result for the thousands of racing fans in attendance. The Preakness winner delivered strong validation. This type of crowd pleasing result is never a given in this tough game. Many hearts have been broken in Belmont's stretch. If Smarty Jones could have delivered like this in the 2004 Belmont I think a few thousand new racing fans would have been minted that day. Hopefully some new fans were created yesterday.
All Alone At The Wire Rachel Alexandra
Rachel is an athletic filly with a long neck and a serious eye. She looks like she is tough and not one to be trifled with. When Curlin raced at Belmont last year Jess Jackson spent time with Curlin in his stall, this time Jess Jackson gave Rachel Alexandra her space standing close by instead of in the stall. Like Curlin, Alexandra did not walk the paddock, her connections decided to have her spend the entire time she was in the paddock in her stall. Her manner was calm, controlled and confident. When Borel mounted her her ears pricked and she was on her toes. She received a round of applause in the paddock and then another warm reception during the post parade. When she returned to the winners circle she received a standing ovation. This type of affection is only reserved for racing royalty and she received the full royal treatment.
Beautiful Belmont Park After A Successful Day
The day was a success for Rachel Alexandra, the connections, the fans and for NYRA. This filly has the potential to bring people out to the track. She is a superstar and a real crowdpleaser. Every sports/racefan should make it a point to get out and see her while she is out there campaigning.
Photo Credit to Joe Burns
Naughty New Yorker
The first stakes race of the day was the Ed Fratello Stakes. Favored Wishful Tomcat tracked frontrunning Fortunate Prospect, took over at the top of the lane, winning the mile and a 16th test in 140 and 2/5ths. Looking at Wishful Tomcat in the paddock, he is a stoutly built, tall, good looking individual. He looked best on paper and impressive in the paddock. One look at him and it was clear that not only was he the favorite to win but Wishful Tomcat knew he was going to win. The horse had presence. He could come back and win the Suburban next week if Dutrow chooses to enter him. Wishful Tomcat is a horse with razor sharp form.
Naughty New Yorker
Old campaigner Naughty New York was in this field too. After all these years he still wears that full cup blinker over his right eye. He was second off the layoff after a year without a race. The 7 year old New York bred was a bit overweight in the paddock and raced like he needed the race as he finished last. I'm sure the connections would love to get him over the million dollar earnings plateau which he has flirted with since 2007. He is only about $15K away from 1 million but like a gambler trying to make the rent money if he does not find his old form he may not get there.
Paddock Crowd Mother Goose Stakes
“We were very pleased with the crowd today, especially the number of girls and women,” said Hal Handel, NYRA executive vice president and COO. This was a crowd where you can take your young daughter too and not worry about her being out of place. There were thousands of new faces and as one of the old faces I know who all the regulars are. These people were not track regulars. There were dozens of couples, there were teenage girls and adolescent girls with their families. I even talked to a guy who flew up from New Orleans to see Rachel run. This was a crowd of fans not just the hardcore packs of gamblers and handicappers.
Paddock Crowd Rachel Alexandra
It may be easy to dismiss these women as taking up space and not contributing their fair share to the game. Not only did they receive free admission but I did not see them hitting the windows with $100 exacta boxes. However their contribution is not to the handle but to the track aesthetic and of the ambiance of the facility. Having tons of women at the track changes the game. Old men cursing at a television screens suddenly feel like they are acting like crass animals and they tone down their public tirades of profanity. The hecklers keep their outbursts to themselves. What was once grimy becomes a classy event that could be attended by all. Taming racing's sleazy reputation is a good start to working the game back into the mainstream. Embellish the few thousand foul mouthed degenerates in the crowd with pretty girls and their admirers and soon the track becomes an inviting place. Suddenly demographic groups that are extinct at Belmont find that it is a good time. The potential for growth is opened up. The track demographic aquires some diversity outside of old and profane. Whatever NYRA did on Saturday was successful and is one of the building blocks to growing the game. I was bearish on this promotion, but I am happy to be wrong. The Rachel Alexandra promotion was a success. New fans showed up by the thousands and it was the most thrilling sporting event of the day.
Cheers In The Paddock For Rachel
Rachel Alexandra crushed her two competitors in the Mother Goose winning by 19 lengths, exceeding expectations. She rated behind the blistering pace and then drew off impressively as the rider pleased. It was pleasing result for the thousands of racing fans in attendance. The Preakness winner delivered strong validation. This type of crowd pleasing result is never a given in this tough game. Many hearts have been broken in Belmont's stretch. If Smarty Jones could have delivered like this in the 2004 Belmont I think a few thousand new racing fans would have been minted that day. Hopefully some new fans were created yesterday.
All Alone At The Wire Rachel Alexandra
Rachel is an athletic filly with a long neck and a serious eye. She looks like she is tough and not one to be trifled with. When Curlin raced at Belmont last year Jess Jackson spent time with Curlin in his stall, this time Jess Jackson gave Rachel Alexandra her space standing close by instead of in the stall. Like Curlin, Alexandra did not walk the paddock, her connections decided to have her spend the entire time she was in the paddock in her stall. Her manner was calm, controlled and confident. When Borel mounted her her ears pricked and she was on her toes. She received a round of applause in the paddock and then another warm reception during the post parade. When she returned to the winners circle she received a standing ovation. This type of affection is only reserved for racing royalty and she received the full royal treatment.
Beautiful Belmont Park After A Successful Day
The day was a success for Rachel Alexandra, the connections, the fans and for NYRA. This filly has the potential to bring people out to the track. She is a superstar and a real crowdpleaser. Every sports/racefan should make it a point to get out and see her while she is out there campaigning.
Photo Credit to Joe Burns
25 June 2009
Dear Abigail, (The Category Killer Track)
Commenter Abigail made an excellent point in the Rachel Alexandra marketing post regarding how most people show up for triple crown racing for the party and not the horses. This crowd could really care less about the horses. They are there to hang out, get drunk and have a good time. Their good time y does not include watching or betting on horse racing. Any bets made are just ancillary entertainment. These people will not come back until next year when the TV starts talking about the triple crown all over again.
Marketing a special filly mostly falls on deaf ears. Most people are just not sharp enough to appreciate equine excellence or acknowledge it when they see it. These days when it comes to horses people don't know a throat latch from a trifecta box. The thing that people respond to is controversy and large groups of people all doing the same thing. People move in herds like Bison, cherishing the safety of the group. The challenge before racing is to create a real buzz, to create a watering hole to lure the herd. Racing needs to create excitement to drown out the mundane gossip about ballgames and ballplayers on sports AM radio. Racing needs get the masses talking about their single in Saturday's pick 4 instead of who is A-Rod dating now that he is single.
The only marketing that will get the job done is an idea posted by a commenter named "Cholly" in a previous post. The idea was about a "category killer" track that had 100K allowance races, 10% takeout with huge wagering pools and huge fields. Add in a revolutionary tote system based on Betfair that allows players to lay horses and racing could generate the necessary buzz to lure the herd of masses away from the malls and ballpark clip joints. This would be racing at its best and wagering on a grand scale. These would be mutuel pools that dominate the industry, perhaps even putting smaller tracks out of business and concentrating the public's fascination on the mega-meet.
Once the ball starts rolling with the masses their attention tends to accumulate on one subject making that entity a runaway success. Racing is just hanging on with a small but loyal niche audience. There is untapped potential for racing to be a top pleasure activity. When the gambling action filled with intrigue, the racing so interesting, masses of people would gravitate towards it. For this to happen the idea would have to be something completely new and completely out of the box. The marketing idea would have to be fraught with risk, something to surprise people and change the way people think about racing. The "category killer" track looms as something to bring racing back into the mainstream.
Marketing a special filly mostly falls on deaf ears. Most people are just not sharp enough to appreciate equine excellence or acknowledge it when they see it. These days when it comes to horses people don't know a throat latch from a trifecta box. The thing that people respond to is controversy and large groups of people all doing the same thing. People move in herds like Bison, cherishing the safety of the group. The challenge before racing is to create a real buzz, to create a watering hole to lure the herd. Racing needs to create excitement to drown out the mundane gossip about ballgames and ballplayers on sports AM radio. Racing needs get the masses talking about their single in Saturday's pick 4 instead of who is A-Rod dating now that he is single.
The only marketing that will get the job done is an idea posted by a commenter named "Cholly" in a previous post. The idea was about a "category killer" track that had 100K allowance races, 10% takeout with huge wagering pools and huge fields. Add in a revolutionary tote system based on Betfair that allows players to lay horses and racing could generate the necessary buzz to lure the herd of masses away from the malls and ballpark clip joints. This would be racing at its best and wagering on a grand scale. These would be mutuel pools that dominate the industry, perhaps even putting smaller tracks out of business and concentrating the public's fascination on the mega-meet.
Once the ball starts rolling with the masses their attention tends to accumulate on one subject making that entity a runaway success. Racing is just hanging on with a small but loyal niche audience. There is untapped potential for racing to be a top pleasure activity. When the gambling action filled with intrigue, the racing so interesting, masses of people would gravitate towards it. For this to happen the idea would have to be something completely new and completely out of the box. The marketing idea would have to be fraught with risk, something to surprise people and change the way people think about racing. The "category killer" track looms as something to bring racing back into the mainstream.
Preaching To The Choir
NYRA is pulling out all the stops to market Rachel Alexandra in the Mother Goose. There was a time when this type of marketing effort held promise but these promotions have disappointed year after year. The mainstream public has proven that time after time that outside of the hardcore niche audience they are completely disinterested with non-triple crown racing. The local population around Belmont would rather be at the mall sending more dollars to the Chinese treasury than betting on hard and confusing horse races. If it is not a mainstream media triple crown race a free admission or pink rubber band is not enough to lure the boys or the girls to the paddock.
Last year NYRA pulled out all the stops with Curlin at Saratoga just like NYRA is pulling out all the stops with Rachel. Instead of a huge attendance surge for Curlin theere was disapointment. In fact there was a Saturday last year without a graded stakes race, people lamented that NYRA that ruined squandered a great Saturday in a prime part of the meet. Suprisingly that afterthought of a racecard had more attenadnace than Curlin's heavily marketed run in the Woodward. The people have proven that racing is not on their radar I am expecting less that 10K for Belmont on Saturday. However it will be 10K of the best sports fans in the world, hopefully I am wrong, the masses show up in droves leaving the malls and the ballpark clip joints empty.
Last year NYRA pulled out all the stops with Curlin at Saratoga just like NYRA is pulling out all the stops with Rachel. Instead of a huge attendance surge for Curlin theere was disapointment. In fact there was a Saturday last year without a graded stakes race, people lamented that NYRA that ruined squandered a great Saturday in a prime part of the meet. Suprisingly that afterthought of a racecard had more attenadnace than Curlin's heavily marketed run in the Woodward. The people have proven that racing is not on their radar I am expecting less that 10K for Belmont on Saturday. However it will be 10K of the best sports fans in the world, hopefully I am wrong, the masses show up in droves leaving the malls and the ballpark clip joints empty.
21 May 2009
Rachel Alexandra Wannabe
The typically conservative Angel Penna Jr. has entered three year old filly Warm Shower against older males in Thursday's 8th race at Belmont. Is this aggressive entry the start of Rachel Alexandra fever? Is Rachel's success against the boys a watershed event that will initiate a trend of girl horses racing against and beating boy horses? At 12-1 morning line Warm Shower will provide a nice return if she can beat the well regarded Unbridled's Heart and the rest of the field. The barn thought enough of Warm Shower to nominate her to the Sands Point this weekend. With this information two things are clear to us that might not be so clear to the rest of the wagering public. The barn loves the filly and she is doing great right now. Rather than wait for a spot in a few weeks that may not fill they need a race A.S.A.P. and will take on the boys. With all of the male-chauvinist pigs disregarding Warm Shower due to her perceived inferior gender we will surely get a great price. Chalk it up as the play of the day.
Belmont Race 8
W# 3 Warm Shower
23 10-2-1
strike rate 43%
cumulative return 73.70
$2 ROI $3.20
Belmont Race 8
W# 3 Warm Shower
23 10-2-1
strike rate 43%
cumulative return 73.70
$2 ROI $3.20
18 May 2009
Preakness Validation For All
The Preakness has initiated a form turn around for the game of horse racing. All of the key players in the race were validated. Jess Jackson who reportedly paid up to $10 million for Rachel Alexandra validated big money, big ego, last minute purchasers. Rachel Alexandra who was doubted by many handicapping nitwits, was validated as the best three year old in the country, she was sensational. The supposedly fluky derby winner, given less respect than Rodney Dangerfield, unleashed a power run, validating his derby win and proving himself a very nice 3 year old classic winner. Even Tom Durkin with his much maligned derby call delivered a scintillating account of the Preakness validating his position at the top of the American racecaller hierarchy.
Jess Jackson took a huge risk on Rachel Alexandra and it is good for racing that he was rewarded, rather than made a fool. Jackson's success may encourage others with the need for ego validation to get involved in the racing game. Can you imagine Donald Trump droning in the winners circle, "she is the best filly in all of of America, she is like Trump National Golf Club the best golf course in all of Westchester Country New York." While some may resent someone like Jackson throwing around money to position himself at the top, those people are missing a crucial point. It is vital that there is still men like Jackson to invest in the game at the top level. If there were a few more like him the game would resume it's rightful position at the top of the sport hierarchy. Headlines would be generated, buzz would be induced and irresistible competitive races would be made.
Rachel Alexandra was brilliant in the race. The piddly concerns of handicappers concerning her class were unfounded. She handled the class hike, the larger field, the increased pressure and the crowd. She single handedly dominated the race and was clearly a force on the front end. She dominated the results like an alpha-female in charge of a band of rouge bachelors. The closer the race is examined the more impressive her race appears. She cooked every horse within reach of her. Big Drama was defeated before they hit the top of the lane. Friesan Fire was third early and wound up well beaten. Pioneerof was close up early in forth but suffered the worst defeat of his race career and finished11th. Take The Points was another that was close up and finished last. Papa Clem sat right off the pace in the pocket on the rail and was soundly defeated finishing 8 lengths behind her. The horses that rated in 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th all ran new beyer number tops. The pace was hot and Rachel controlled all those boys.
Mine That Bird was another who was validated in this race. His win was dismissed as a pure fluke. Many doubted his ability to handle a dry, fast track and the transition to Pimlico. He handled everything quite well and proved his detractors wrong. The son of Birdstone unleashed a power run going into the turn and blew past every horse except the winner. It could be argued that with a better trip he might have won. His derby win was for real, while his Preakness was a loss it still provided sweet vindication for him. Mine That Bird is now respected. He is a very nice horse and has a stout finish to be reckoned with
You want to talk about form reversals , Tom Durkin had a huge form reversal in the Preakness. After Durkin's most disappointing big race call in the derby he delivered a memorable call for the ages in the Preakness. The local caller Rodman at Pimlico is a fine racecaller but listen to both calls of the same race and it is clear who the better caller is. Durkin picked up Mine That Birds power run as it commenced on the far turn, Rodman did not pick the move until The Bird was in the clear past the 1/8th pole. Having Durkin call the races is a wonderful enhancement to the game and his performance validated why he is treasured by so many race fans.
The Preakness was a great race for racing. Many positive stories have emerged from the race along with a sense of excitement. The uninformed articles from the clueless brigade have ceased and articles highlighting racing's authentic, grass roots appeal have emerged by the lot. TV ratings surged and wagering was up an impressive 30% over last years Preakness. Pimlico has eliminated the BYOB policy in the infield which replaced beer guzzling nitwits with real racing fans, accounting for the tremendous spike in wagering. Good riddance to the human filth pit that was the Preakness infield. Not only did the Preakness validate those involved with the game the Preakness validated the game itself.
Jess Jackson took a huge risk on Rachel Alexandra and it is good for racing that he was rewarded, rather than made a fool. Jackson's success may encourage others with the need for ego validation to get involved in the racing game. Can you imagine Donald Trump droning in the winners circle, "she is the best filly in all of of America, she is like Trump National Golf Club the best golf course in all of Westchester Country New York." While some may resent someone like Jackson throwing around money to position himself at the top, those people are missing a crucial point. It is vital that there is still men like Jackson to invest in the game at the top level. If there were a few more like him the game would resume it's rightful position at the top of the sport hierarchy. Headlines would be generated, buzz would be induced and irresistible competitive races would be made.
Rachel Alexandra was brilliant in the race. The piddly concerns of handicappers concerning her class were unfounded. She handled the class hike, the larger field, the increased pressure and the crowd. She single handedly dominated the race and was clearly a force on the front end. She dominated the results like an alpha-female in charge of a band of rouge bachelors. The closer the race is examined the more impressive her race appears. She cooked every horse within reach of her. Big Drama was defeated before they hit the top of the lane. Friesan Fire was third early and wound up well beaten. Pioneerof was close up early in forth but suffered the worst defeat of his race career and finished11th. Take The Points was another that was close up and finished last. Papa Clem sat right off the pace in the pocket on the rail and was soundly defeated finishing 8 lengths behind her. The horses that rated in 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th all ran new beyer number tops. The pace was hot and Rachel controlled all those boys.
Mine That Bird was another who was validated in this race. His win was dismissed as a pure fluke. Many doubted his ability to handle a dry, fast track and the transition to Pimlico. He handled everything quite well and proved his detractors wrong. The son of Birdstone unleashed a power run going into the turn and blew past every horse except the winner. It could be argued that with a better trip he might have won. His derby win was for real, while his Preakness was a loss it still provided sweet vindication for him. Mine That Bird is now respected. He is a very nice horse and has a stout finish to be reckoned with
You want to talk about form reversals , Tom Durkin had a huge form reversal in the Preakness. After Durkin's most disappointing big race call in the derby he delivered a memorable call for the ages in the Preakness. The local caller Rodman at Pimlico is a fine racecaller but listen to both calls of the same race and it is clear who the better caller is. Durkin picked up Mine That Birds power run as it commenced on the far turn, Rodman did not pick the move until The Bird was in the clear past the 1/8th pole. Having Durkin call the races is a wonderful enhancement to the game and his performance validated why he is treasured by so many race fans.
The Preakness was a great race for racing. Many positive stories have emerged from the race along with a sense of excitement. The uninformed articles from the clueless brigade have ceased and articles highlighting racing's authentic, grass roots appeal have emerged by the lot. TV ratings surged and wagering was up an impressive 30% over last years Preakness. Pimlico has eliminated the BYOB policy in the infield which replaced beer guzzling nitwits with real racing fans, accounting for the tremendous spike in wagering. Good riddance to the human filth pit that was the Preakness infield. Not only did the Preakness validate those involved with the game the Preakness validated the game itself.
12 May 2009
Preakness Making For Great Drama
You know the old saying "Any press is good press", and with all the shenanigans this week racing has garnered a swarm of attention. Comments on ESPN racing articles have surged from and average of 0.5 to 36. The surge in attention is great news. Is the filly in? Are they going to keep her out? Who is colluding in the sinister plot to keep her out? Is Jackson trying to buy a triple crown race? How classy is Whitney to step aside for the filly? Why did they move Rachel to a trainer with so many drug positives? The story lines are vibrant and they have engaged a racing community. The mass appeal of Beyer numbers is the same mass appeal as the Harvard Math Review, these new story lines have the sensational mass appeal of the national enquirer.
It is about time that racing joined the party. The sports world gave up on handicapping the games and polite speak long ago. Gambling is hard but feeling emotionally outraged is easy. The sports world used to be a more like a regular racing day. There was a competition and people discussed the merits of the competitors, the games were played, bets were made and people marveled at the skills of the players. Now the sports world is more like "Day Of Our Lives". There are villains and people you love to hate and there are sensational bits of interpersonal gossip to ponder. Sports have become the daytime drama that women have loved for years but men never had. Racing has not participated much in the soap opera and it has hurt the races in the mass appeal market. The lead-up to the Preakness has changed all that. The game has plunged itself into the mud soaked sports soap opera scrum. The sensationalist maiden is broken. The Preakness is the N1X allowance for sensationalists and those basking in the national limelight. Racing is poised to capture some much needed mass appeal on the backs of a few flamboyant characters. Racing needs these characters who relish the spotlight.
Turn on ESPN or the local sports talk AM radio and most of the content centers around who is on steroids, who got busted for steroids, what kind of steroids they took, who is in jail, who gets along with who and he said she said. This is more like an episode of Days Of Our Lives than a three hour ball game. The competition is secondary to the storyline. For a longtime racing had no storylines outside of the competition. While only a few can read the racing from, everyone can read a sensational tabloid like the National Enquirer. Ballgames themselves are long, boring and dull but gossiping about people and taking a stand invokes emotional reactions. People like emotional reactions. Instead of focusing on the competition the sports soap opera drama has supplanted the game action itself as what the fans follow. The drama gives people the ability to take positions on popular issues. It creates a storyline and animates the lives of the fans. Instead of being a isolated sports fan following players who follow a ball the fans engage into a drama and feel like they are part of a vibrant social circle with heroes, friends and villains.
Look at how the Preakness drama has enlivened the horse racing community. There are dozens of blog posts that have stimulated scores of impassioned comments. The message boards are dominated by threads focusing on the Preakness lead-up. Almost everyone has an opinion and is able to take a posture either for or against Jess Jackson or whether they like Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. There are heroes, villains, drama and pending high jinks. A stand against Jess Jackson is a stand against greed. A stand against Zayat and Allen's plot to exclude Rachel Alexandra means you are for good sportsmanship. A stand for excluding Rachel Alexandra means you are a rugged iconoclast. Drama like this gives the fans an identity and engages them in a running debate with an exciting storyline.
This type of drama is usually absent from racing. Not only is it absent but racing usually shuns this type of drama, I thought racing was too classy for this type of nonsense. There was a time when I was uncomfortable with it but I have learned to embrace the soap opera drama for its immense potential to bring the masses into the racing fold. Like the NBA and NFL does this type of drama should be embraced. At first glance it may seem that this type of theater would turn off fans. Sure some may be turned off but the overwhelming majority of fans love this type of brouhaha and eat it up like a dog left home alone with a Porterhouse steak on the counter.
What happens on the backstretch stays on the backstretch. Racing has missed out on the billion dollar sports drama business. If racing wants to return to the main stream it needs more press, it needs more flamboyant characters like Ahmed Zayat saying more ostentatious things. People will posture for and against these issues but the key point is that if there is nothing to take a stand against, the masses will ignore racing. Most of the year the polite connections say the right things, the horses run in a circle, the bets are paid out and life goes on. This is not enough to capture the masses imagination. The play of the day is too hard to come up with and you look too foolish when it runs up the track. The public needs controversy for the sake of controversy. The public needs easy targets like Barry Bonds to take shots at. There needs to be heroes and villains. The NTRA should purchase Dutrow a years supply of Redbull to get him talking more. Jeff Mullins should issue press releases on a regular basis on how dumb the betting public is every time a 2-5 shot runs up the track. Stories should be concocted that a horse was excluded from a race even though they weren't even pointed to that race. If nobody does anything risque it makes for one boring soap opera. Bring it on limelight seekers and keep the soap opera rolling five days a week.
It is about time that racing joined the party. The sports world gave up on handicapping the games and polite speak long ago. Gambling is hard but feeling emotionally outraged is easy. The sports world used to be a more like a regular racing day. There was a competition and people discussed the merits of the competitors, the games were played, bets were made and people marveled at the skills of the players. Now the sports world is more like "Day Of Our Lives". There are villains and people you love to hate and there are sensational bits of interpersonal gossip to ponder. Sports have become the daytime drama that women have loved for years but men never had. Racing has not participated much in the soap opera and it has hurt the races in the mass appeal market. The lead-up to the Preakness has changed all that. The game has plunged itself into the mud soaked sports soap opera scrum. The sensationalist maiden is broken. The Preakness is the N1X allowance for sensationalists and those basking in the national limelight. Racing is poised to capture some much needed mass appeal on the backs of a few flamboyant characters. Racing needs these characters who relish the spotlight.
Turn on ESPN or the local sports talk AM radio and most of the content centers around who is on steroids, who got busted for steroids, what kind of steroids they took, who is in jail, who gets along with who and he said she said. This is more like an episode of Days Of Our Lives than a three hour ball game. The competition is secondary to the storyline. For a longtime racing had no storylines outside of the competition. While only a few can read the racing from, everyone can read a sensational tabloid like the National Enquirer. Ballgames themselves are long, boring and dull but gossiping about people and taking a stand invokes emotional reactions. People like emotional reactions. Instead of focusing on the competition the sports soap opera drama has supplanted the game action itself as what the fans follow. The drama gives people the ability to take positions on popular issues. It creates a storyline and animates the lives of the fans. Instead of being a isolated sports fan following players who follow a ball the fans engage into a drama and feel like they are part of a vibrant social circle with heroes, friends and villains.
Look at how the Preakness drama has enlivened the horse racing community. There are dozens of blog posts that have stimulated scores of impassioned comments. The message boards are dominated by threads focusing on the Preakness lead-up. Almost everyone has an opinion and is able to take a posture either for or against Jess Jackson or whether they like Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. There are heroes, villains, drama and pending high jinks. A stand against Jess Jackson is a stand against greed. A stand against Zayat and Allen's plot to exclude Rachel Alexandra means you are for good sportsmanship. A stand for excluding Rachel Alexandra means you are a rugged iconoclast. Drama like this gives the fans an identity and engages them in a running debate with an exciting storyline.
This type of drama is usually absent from racing. Not only is it absent but racing usually shuns this type of drama, I thought racing was too classy for this type of nonsense. There was a time when I was uncomfortable with it but I have learned to embrace the soap opera drama for its immense potential to bring the masses into the racing fold. Like the NBA and NFL does this type of drama should be embraced. At first glance it may seem that this type of theater would turn off fans. Sure some may be turned off but the overwhelming majority of fans love this type of brouhaha and eat it up like a dog left home alone with a Porterhouse steak on the counter.
What happens on the backstretch stays on the backstretch. Racing has missed out on the billion dollar sports drama business. If racing wants to return to the main stream it needs more press, it needs more flamboyant characters like Ahmed Zayat saying more ostentatious things. People will posture for and against these issues but the key point is that if there is nothing to take a stand against, the masses will ignore racing. Most of the year the polite connections say the right things, the horses run in a circle, the bets are paid out and life goes on. This is not enough to capture the masses imagination. The play of the day is too hard to come up with and you look too foolish when it runs up the track. The public needs controversy for the sake of controversy. The public needs easy targets like Barry Bonds to take shots at. There needs to be heroes and villains. The NTRA should purchase Dutrow a years supply of Redbull to get him talking more. Jeff Mullins should issue press releases on a regular basis on how dumb the betting public is every time a 2-5 shot runs up the track. Stories should be concocted that a horse was excluded from a race even though they weren't even pointed to that race. If nobody does anything risque it makes for one boring soap opera. Bring it on limelight seekers and keep the soap opera rolling five days a week.
02 May 2009
Derby Day Good News
The TVG & Tracknet deal is just what we needed. Now the one race that actually has mass appeal can be promoted on the most prominent of racing media. Hopefully they can build on this agreement and grow the pie instead of decimating the pie in selfish struggles.
How about that Rachel Alexander? She ran an absolute hole in the wind in the Kentucky Oaks. That was about as impressive as a race as I have seen ever. The filly actually took my breath away and left me speechless.
How about that Rachel Alexander? She ran an absolute hole in the wind in the Kentucky Oaks. That was about as impressive as a race as I have seen ever. The filly actually took my breath away and left me speechless.
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